Percy Jackson and The Wolfpack
by Morwen Tindomerel
Summary: You know your life sucks when a giant wolf claims to be your mother. Percy at Lupa's camp.
1. Percy Goes to The Wolves

Percy opened his eyes – and wished he hadn't. He was lying on the cold hard ground by an empty leaf filled pool in a the middle of some kind of ruin freezing to death instead of being tucked snug in his bed at – whoa! His mind was a blank. He had no idea where he belonged except that it sure wasn't here. He got up fast and without thinking about it reached into his pocket took out a cheap plastic pen and uncapped it. Part of him was suitably astonished when it grew into a golden glowing sword but another part had been expecting exactly that and felt much better with the perfectly balanced weight at the end of his arm like it was part of him. Then he saw the first wolf.

He automatically raised his pen-sword to guard and maneuvered to put a wall at his back. More wolves appeared, sliding out of the shadows under the open arches down each side of the long pool. They were everywhere. Okay this was not good. His eyes flicked around counting the enemy, noting positions, studying the ground, calculating the best way out of this mess –

"Good, very good, son of Neptune."

Percy jumped inside but not outside. He didn't alter his defensive stance but let his eyes slide sideways towards the voice. A woman was standing at the head of the pool, a big woman. Not fat but tall. Very, very tall and wearing something dark and close fitted with this wild mane of hair and eyes that glowed in the dark just like the wolves' only hers were silver instead of green. The wolves by the way were ignoring her entirely in favor of Percy.

"Uh, I'm guessing you're with the wolves, right?" he said. "How about calling them off before somebody gets hurt?"

There was enough light for him to see she smiled but it wasn't anything like a human smile even if the face was human. "Put up your sword, pup, we mean you no harm."

Percy lowered the sword falling into an 'at rest' position that would allow him to count-attack at an instants notice; "No offense, lady, but not until they put their teeth away!"

Luckily she wasn't offended. "Even better," she said. "You have little to learn from me, Percy Jackson, in so far as proper caution is concerned."

"Could we start with who you are and where this is?"

"You stand on sacred ground, demigod," she answered. "This is the House of the Wolf. Here your journey begins. How it ends depends on you. Be strong and you will rediscover all you have lost. Show weakness and you die." She eyed him thoughtfully. "I do not think you will die. You are worthy to be a son of Rome."

"I am Lupa, Mother and Trainer of demigods. Already you are skilled but I can and I will teach you more."

Yeah, he was a demigod. Somehow Percy knew that, just like he knew his name and that the blade he held was called Riptide. "Didn't Rome fall like a thousand years ago?"

Lupa's lip curled. "Don't be foolish, pup. Rome never fell. Her gods still rule and sire demigods to defend the Flame. In due time their fate brings them here to the Wolf House, to be claimed –"

Claimed…that word carried a lot a weight, like it meant something special to Percy.

"- and taught by me, as I claimed and taught Romulus and Remus long ago, as I now claim you, Percy Jackson, as a pup of the Capitoline Wolf."

"Ho-kay…" Percy said cautiously. "Uh, what exactly does that mean?"

There was a little growl in Lupa's voice as she answered and he got the feeling that maybe asking any more questions just now wouldn't be a very smart idea. "It means, stupid pup, that you are my cub and a member of my pack! Now come, we have talked enough for one night!" She strode down the narrow bank of the pool and past Percy who hastily got out of her way then fell in behind, capping Riptide and putting it back in his pocket. She led the way out of the ruins and through a stand of redwoods to the bank of a fairly large creek. They followed it, with the wolves trotting in front, behind and around them, across a stretch of what looked like vineyards and into the forest on the other side. Percy found himself moving almost as surefooted and silently as Lupa herself. He was in a creepy forest, in the middle of the night surrounded by potential dangers – and for some weird reason he felt right at home. That said something about the life he couldn't remember that he really didn't want to think about.

Lupa stopped so abruptly that he almost walked into her. "You may sleep here for tonight at least, pup," she said, and Percy saw she was holding open the flap of a tent for him.

Sleep sounded good. Maybe the world would make more sense in the morning. He ducked inside and nearly tripped over a wolf lying across the threshold, it raised its head to give him a shiny green eyed look and other gleams showed themselves further inside the tent.

"Good night, Percy Jackson," said Lupa and let the flap fall closed behind him.

Percy stood very still as the green glowing eyes extinguished themselves pair by pair leaving him in the pitch dark surrounded by the heavy breathing of sleeping wolves. He could either stand here all night or he could accept his place was in the dog house and catch some zees. Seeing as his toothy roomies could have torn him to bits maybe half a dozen times over while he was hesitating here Percy decided on the latter course.

He edged carefully around the door wolf and lowered himself to hands and knees. The tent floor seemed to be covered with some kind of straw matting then his groping hand found fur. He snatched it back but no eyes opened in the dark so he chanced feeling further. It was some kind of rug with more piled on top of it. Percy abruptly remembered just how cold he was and crawled into the furs. In moments he was asleep.

….

Any hope that it would all turn out to some kind of crazy dream disappeared the minute he opened his eyes the next morning. The canvas roof above him was held in place by saplings roughly shaped into a frame. There was only one wolf, sitting with lolling tongue by the flap. And sitting in a nest of furs on the other side of an empty firepit was a small kid, maybe seven or eight.

"Ave, Percy Jackson," said the kid.

"Uh, hi. How did you –?"

"Greyfur told me," the kid answered, nodding towards the wolf. "My name is Quintus Cornelius Priscus Tiberianus."

"That's a lot of name," was all Percy could think of to say.

"You can call me Quintus." The little boy with the big name gave Percy a long considering look. "You're awful old for a pup."

"Uh -"

"Why'd your parents leave it so long?"

Percy had to swallow a sudden lump in his throat. "I don't know. I don't remember them."

Quintus' face changed. "That must have been rough, growing up alone in the mortal world."

"I don't know," Percy said helplessly. "I don't remember anything -" then, looking into the kid's wide storm grey eyes he did. A girl with eyes just that color and blond princess curls. He could remember her laugh. Remember her throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. He even knew her name – Annabeth. He sat up: "You're a son of Athena aren't you?"

Quintus looked surprised. "I'm a legacy of Minerva. She was my Avia's mother. My mother is a Mercuria Celera."

All of that was Greek – or rather Latin – to Percy though somehow he knew 'Avia' meant grandmother. "Do you know a daughter of Athena named Annabeth? Is she here?"

"No and no," Quintus frowned. "Why do you keep calling Minerva by her Greek name?"

"I – I don't know," Percy thought about it. "That's just what comes out of my mouth."

"Well stop it," said Quintus. "_We _call her Minerva."

"Okay," said Percy not wanting to make waves.

"Do you know who your godly parent or ancestor is?"

"Uh, yeah, Lupa called me a son of Neptune."

"Wow," Quintus looked mildly impressed. "We don't get many of those," he frowned again. "In fact I don't think I've ever heard of a Neptunian in the legion or the city."

Somehow that didn't surprise Percy. He had a feeling he was used to being alone. And yet when he thought about Neptune he felt something… a kind of warm glow like the memory of a smile. "I think I've met my dad," he said slowly. "I think… I think he loves me."

"Sure he does," said Quintus like he was shocked Percy could doubt it. "The gods love all their kids, no matter how many generations removed. They need us too, to guard the Flame and keep the Tradition alive."

"Right," said Percy. He didn't doubt a word the kid was saying, any more than he had doubted Lupa last night, but took some assimilating. "So – this is where we learn how to do all that?"

"Right," said Quintus. "Welcome to Camp Wolfhouse."


	2. Percy Tries To Remember

The word 'camp' like 'claimed' resonated with Percy but the sights outside the tent weren't familiar at all. He was surrounded by massive redwood trees soaring up like skyscrapers to a vanishing point deep in the pale blue sky overhead. There was practically no undergrowth and the ground was soft and springy like it was covered with mulch. Tents, log cabins and stone huts all scaled for munchkins were scattered around alongside crazy Rube Goldberg creations of logs and scrap metal like perpetual motion jungle gyms. Spikes stuck into the huge tree trunks led up to platforms and perches high overhead and linked to each other by ropes. There were wolves all over the place but there didn't seem to be any point in worrying about them.

Birdsong filled the cool morning air and the piping voices of little kids. They were everywhere, climbing and spinning on the Rube Goldberg machines, scampering like squirrels up the trees and dancing across the ropes slung between them. Looking around Percy couldn't see anybody who'd come higher than his belly button or was older than twelve, tops. He felt enormous and very old. "Aren't there any big kids?"

Quintus shrugged. "There's Cory, he's thirteen. Everybody else is younger. Like I said nobody waits 'til they're as old as you before coming to Lupa." He took Percy's hand. "You can stick with me until you've learned the ropes."

"Thanks," said Percy. Great, he needed a third grader to take care of him!

Quintus towed him towards a smell of wood smoke and bacon which turned out to be coming from a big barbecue hearth under a canvas canopy with kids sitting on mats eating nearby. There was sausage as well as bacon, cereal with raisins, thick slices of crusty bread and pitchers of milk and three kinds of juice. Percy took lots of everything and as he passed the hearth dropped a slice of bacon into it.

"What did you do that for?" Quintus asked surprised.

Percy looked at his hand like it belonged to somebody else. "I don't know."

"Well don't waste food. Lupa won't like it." Percy followed Quintus to some empty mats. The boy flopped down and said, 'Ave, Claudia, Claudilla," to two little girls sitting nearby. "This is Percy Jackson," he continued, "he came last night. Percy, this is Claudia Pulchera Majora and her sister Minora called Claudilla."

"Hi," said Percy wondering if there were any kids at this camp with normal names.

The older girl was maybe ten or eleven with a mop of crazy blond ringlets framing a solemn little face with big greeny-grey eyes. Her kid sister was about Quintus' age or even younger with light brown hair hanging in elf curls to her waist and a pair of huge wistful eyes and a little pointed chin. Both were dressed in tie-dyed t-shirts and dark shorts with bare feet.

Percy had noticed his own feet were bare last night but he hadn't paid any attention to what he was wearing. Looking down he saw he was in t-shirt and shorts too. The shirt was orange and looked like it might once have had something printed on it but it was all worn away except for a few flecks of black. His only clue as to where he came from was useless. He was batting a thousand here.

"What's that around your neck?" Claudilla asked suddenly.

Percy reached up, found a leather thong with beads and took it off. The little kids all crowded in to look.

"The trident is the symbol of Neptune," Claudia said.

"Percy's a son of Neptune," Quintus explained and both girls looked surprised but to Percy's relief didn't go through the whole 'kids of Neptune are really rare' riff.

Instead Claudilla put a little pink fingertip on the second bead. "What's that?"

It looked like a tiny golden animal all splayed out and meant absolutely nothing to Percy. "I don't know," he said frustrated. "I can't remember."

"Percy's got amnesia," Quintus explained to the girls.

"Did you hit your head?" Claudia asked. "We should give him some ambrosia, Quintus. Maybe that'll help." She got up and went off someplace.

Claudilla was still focused on the beads. "This one looks like a maze."

"The Labyrinth," said Percy - he didn't know why.

"Really?" both kids looked interested but Percy could only shrug.

"This last one is really complicated," Quintus remarked, holding the bead closer to his eyes. "That looks like the Empire State Building but what's with all the little Greek letters?"

Percy took the necklace from him. The tiny signs were words to him, names. "Silena," he read aloud. "Michael, Bobbi…" he choked to a stop, fighting back tears.

"What?" Quintus asked.

Percy shook his head. It was a minute before he could speak. "This means something very bad. Those people…I think I knew them. I think they're dead."

Claudilla gazed at him steadily with those big pale greeny eyes. "Did they die well?"

"Yes!" Percy answered at once. "Yeah," he added more slowly, "yeah I think they did."

Her little pink finger touched the last bead. "Then this must be your way of honoring them."

"I guess," Percy said uncertainly. "I wonder if I made those beads."

"They look handmade," said Quintus.

Claudia came back with a square of something yellow like butterscotch in her hand. She held it out to Percy. "Here, eat this."

He bit into it. It didn't taste like butterscotch but jellybeans, blue jellybeans. He smiled. "All of a sudden I feel happy."

"Ambrosia does that," said Claudia. "Do you remember now?"

Percy concentrated. "Uh…I remember skyscrapers…city streets…an apartment… a big black dog…" He shook his head, frustrated. "Just pictures, I know it's my apartment and my dog, but I don't know where we live or why I'm not there with her."

"What's your dog's name?" Quintus asked suddenly.

"Mrs. O'Leary," Percy answered automatically.

I've noticed sometimes if you ask him a straight question the answer just pops out," Quintus explained to the Claudias.

"What's your address?" the older Claudia asked promptly.

"Uh… Um," Percy's mind was a blank and his tongue didn't seem about to rescue him.

"It doesn't always work," Claudia said to Quintus.

"Duh," he answered.

They finished eating, washed and stacked their tin plates and cups. Quintus squinted at the sun. "We still got an hour or so 'til Lupa gives everybody their assignments. What do you want to do, Percy?"

"Why don't you give me a tour so I know what's where?" he suggested.

Camp Wolfhouse occupied a canyon hemmed in by steep rising hills covered with fir, oak and maple trees all green with new leaves. The creek Percy had followed last night with Lupa widened into a lake closing off the northern end of the canyon bordered to the south by a flat meadow starred with wildflowers. The barbecue area stood on its edge, just inside the forest, and the huts - as they called them - of the campers wandered up the valley towards the granite faced cliff called Lupa's Knoll.

Percy noticed the other campers and the wolves were all beginning to move in that direction too. "C'mon," Quintus said, urging him on. "Almost time for assignments."

Suddenly Claudilla darted off into the crowd. She came back towing a much taller boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen, behind her. He was brown skinned with short cropped hair and greenish-brown eyes. He wore the usual t-shirt and shorts - in khaki – and a silver whistle on a chain around his neck. Percy was so glad to see another teenager that he almost kissed him.

"This is Percy Neptunius Jackson," Claudilla said to the boy she was dragging. "Percy, this is Cory Sylvanius Brecht, Lupa's Lieutenant."

At that exact moment there came a sort of hollow booming sound from the direction of the knoll. Claudilla instantly dropped Cory's hand and she, her sister and Quintus raced on ahead as the campers all around broke into a run.

"The den's door's open," Cory remarked casually. "But Lupa won't be giving out assignments for a bit yet." He gave Percy a friendly grin. "Feeling totally out of it?"

"You said it!"

"Quintus is a great kid but he's got generations of Roman demigods behind him. Same deal with the Claudias. I'm betting you're from the outside world like me."

"I guess," Percy said doubtfully, "I don't remember, I got amnesia."

"Wow," Cory looked distinctly startled. "Okay, that's weird -"

"Tell me about it!"

"So I'm thinking you're maybe twice as confused as the usual new pup," Cory finished.

"Make it three times - or four," Percy said fervently.

"Okay, you've got the spiel about the gods of Rome still being around and expecting their kids to carry on the Tradition of Rome?"

"In America?"

Cory nodded. "That's exactly what I said when Mom tried to explain it to me. You see Rome and her gods represent the soul of Western civilization, the Flame as we call it. When Rome seemed to fall the Flame didn't die it just moved to the West's new center in Northern Europe -"

"And the gods moved with it," Percy interrupted. He knew this, somewhere, sometime he'd heard it before; "And finally all the way to America because we're the latest center of the West."

"Exactly," Cory said looking at him curiously.

"Somebody explained it to me … a long, long time ago," Percy said with a frown of desperate concentration. "But I can't remember who!"

"That must be really frustrating," Cory looked sincerely sympathetic. "I wish I could think of a way to help you, but I can't."

"We already tried ambrosia," Percy said ruefully.

"Okay, scratch one suggestion. Look, I don't know if it's any comfort to you but you're exactly where you should be. This is the place for demigods. Lupa trains us and when she thinks we're ready she sends us out to serve Rome."

"About how long does that take?" Percy asked doubtfully.

"Usually about a year, but to have survived as long as you have outside on your own you must know how to handle yourself – so I'm guessing it'll be a lot shorter time for you." He worried his lip a minute then went on. "Thing is Lupa hasn't sent any campers away for months now. And none have been coming in either. Usually we have a pretty steady turnover but something's wrong – and Lupa won't tell me what!"

"I hate that," said Percy and somehow he just _knew_ he'd been left out of the loop himself in his unknown past and just what Cory was feeling.

"Me too," the other boy said glumly.


	3. Percy Is Recognized by Old Enemies

The sight of a giant wolf, ten feet from nose to tail tip at least, lying on a patch of lawn in the morning sun was not in the least shocking to Percy – which said some more things about his life – but the fact she had rug-rats climbing all over her did surprise him quite a lot. Quintus waved to him from high atop the wolf's back then returned to fending off the kids trying to pull him off, and little Claudilla was sitting cross-legged right between the huge paws looking gravely and attentively up at the wolf's face.

The wolf herself seemed totally okay with it all. Every now and then she would reach out and nudge a kid with her huge nose or blanket one with a pink tongue the size of a beach towel and once she picked up a kid up by the scruff of the neck lifting him right out of a developing fist fight and dropping him next to Claudilla.

Percy gulped. "That's Lupa, right?"

"Right," Cory looked at him curiously. "She was in human form when you met her I guess?" Percy nodded. "She usually does that when she first meets a pup. You don't speak Wolf yet."

"Speak Wolf?" Percy looked at him to see if he was serious.

"Yeah, they got a whole language of signs and gestures. Believe it or not, you'll pick it right up – everybody does – but it'll take a few days."

At that moment Lupa emitted a sharp bark that required no translation even to Percy. Cory urged him forward to join the little kids forming neat ranks in front of their lupine guardian and looking up at her expectantly.

Percy looked too. He guessed she was addressing the kids in Wolf: She didn't make any sounds but her ears flicked and whiskers twitched. The skin above her eyes worked like she was raising and lowering non-existent eyebrows and her lip curled once or twice to show some pretty impressive teeth.

Kids started leaving the clearing in pairs or groups heading out in all directions in a purposeful sort of way. The Claudias came to collect Percy.

"Avia says to find you some sneakers then take you fishing in Mill Creek," the elder informed him.

"That should be right up your alley," Cory commented, his eye still on Lupa. "I'll see you later okay?"

"Sure, fine," Percy followed the girls around Lupa and through a big triangular opening in the cliff behind her.

The passage inside was impressively high and wide but then it would have to be wouldn't it? There was no light at the end of the tunnel but a sense of vast space and a smell of redwood mulch and animal musk. The older Claudia took his hand and led him along the left hand wall through an unseen opening and down a much longer tunnel that twisted in a hair-pin turn about midway. The pitch darkness didn't seem to bother either little girl but Percy kept stubbing his toes on the uneven floor and it hurt. Suddenly Claudia stopped and let go of his hand. He heard the scratch of a match and the frail little flame grew to a warm yellow glow as the girl lit a kerosene lantern.

"This is the wardrobe," Claudilla said rather unnecessarily. The room was a rough stone cell with a pile of sneakers, pairs tied together with their laces, on one side next to a multi-colored heap of t-shirts which was next to a no so colorful pile of shorts and jeans. And there were white heaps of socks and of four different kinds of underwear against the opposite wall.

"You've got awfully big feet," Claudia said casually swinging the lantern towards the shoe pile. "But then so do the Heraclids. There'll be a pair that fits you but we'll have to dig for them."

"Heraclids?" Percy asked uncertainly.

"Descendants of Hercules' mortal sons," Claudilla explained. "They're always huge."

"Mark Antony was one of them," Claudia added. "Here, try these."

It took a while but they finally did find some sneakers that fit. Percy tied the laces and Claudia blew out the lantern. "What did you do that for?" he demanded as the pitch black closed in.

"No light except in the wardrobe and armory," Claudia answered. "We have to train our other senses. Humans rely too much on their sight. Speaking of the armory you should have a weapon, Percy."

"I do," he didn't need to see to find the pen and uncap it. The glowing golden blade expanded into view casting a dim light over the two girls' faces.

Tiny Claudilla studied the sword with a critical eye. It was about as long as she was. "That doesn't look like a Trojan blade."

"No," her sister agreed. "It looks Greek. Where did you get a Greek sword?"

"No idea," Percy answered, frustration simmering.

"The ambrosia didn't help at all, huh?"

"Not much," he answered.

"Probably spoils," Claudilla said. "You must have killed a monster with it in its horde or something."

Claudia patted his arm in a reassuring way. "Try not to worry about it. You've found Lupa now, that's the important thing."

"Right," said Percy, unconvinced.

The little girls guided him through the pitch blackness back through the hairpin tunnel and along the wall of the big cavern to another opening. "Careful, there are steps." Claudia said just a second too late.

"Thanks," said Percy rather nasally feeling his nose to see if it was bleeding.

"Sorry."

They felt their way up three flights. "Now close your eyes," Claudia directed. "The sun is going to seem very bright after the den." She wasn't kidding. When the spots went away Percy saw they were standing between a pair of Douglas firs looking down a steep slope into a narrow ravine. "Wolf Pass," said Claudia, "it leads straight to Mill Creek.

There were two real wolves waiting for them with two pair of tiny white sneakers and two short swords or long daggers in leather scabbards. The Claudias put on their shoes and Percy picked up one of the dagger-swords for a better look it had a plain grip of molded black leather above a boss decorated with the figure of a wolf. He drew it. The blade was the same deep golden color but otherwise quite different from his Riptide. It was broad and flat with a curvy shape like a woman's narrowing to a waist just above the long, sharp triangular point.

"You see the difference?" said Claudia, holding out her hand for her weapon.

"Yeah," said Percy, "but why do Romans use Trojan weapons?"

Both girls looked at him in disbelief. So did the wolves. "Because we're descended from the Trojans of course," Claudia answered. "You know, Aeneas!"

"Um…"

"He's forgotten that too," Claudia said to Claudilla. Then back to Percy; "Aeneas was a son of Venus and prince of Troy. He led the survivors to Italy where he married the king's daughter and founded the kingdom of Latinium. Centuries later his descendants Romulus and Remus founded Rome."

"Oh, okay," said Percy. He had a distinct feeling that history had never been his thing even when he'd had his memory.

There was a creek at the end of the ravine running through a deep canyon of its own narrower than the one that held the camp. Girls and wolves waded right in and started catching fish with their hands or mouths. Percy imitated the former, tickling the trout till they stiffened in a sort of trance then snapping their necks and tossing them on the bank. They worked their way from brown pool to brown pool ankle deep in the water running over the pebbled bed in between. They had turned back, collecting the dead fish on the bank as they went, when the snap of a twig in the undergrowth froze them all in their tracks and sent their heads swiveling towards the sound, the children as alert as the wolves.

Something shambled out of the brush and reared up to stand eight feet high on its hind legs. For a split second Percy thought it was a grizzly then he saw the blue-jeans and the almost human if hairy face breaking into a gloating smile.

"Perseus Jackson," it said/growled, "now we will have our revenge!"

"Yeah!" a second bear-man emerged from the underbrush licking his chops. "Ooh look, brother, sweet little tenders!"

"Run!" Percy yelled uncapping his sword.

Little Claudilla ran all right, but not in the direction he'd intended. Instead she made this running start then launched herself right at the first bear-man hitting him feet first at high velocity – but not enough to knock him over. She did this sort of back flip, landing on her feet, and while he was staggered shoved her blade up under his ribs and he exploded, showering her with golden sand.

The second bear-man howled in fury, flailing frantically as he tried to dislodge the wolves attached to his left shoulder and right thigh. Claudia danced lightly around him looking for a good opening, found one and buried her blade to the hilt at about kidney level. The second bear-man went bye-bye.

Percy was about to cap Riptide, feeling pretty useless, when he saw the bear-men hadn't been alone. Suddenly the canyon was full of howling, hair covered monkey-men waving spears and clubs and showing sharp canine teeth. "Okay, now run!" Percy yelled and this time the girls obeyed, practically flying up the canyon, while the wolves ranged themselves beside him.

The fight was pretty intense but – and this was the weird part – the clubs bounced right off him and so did the spears, it was like his skin was made of iron or something. He heard one of the wolves squeal in pain but the other kept right in there with him and pretty soon the monkey-men decided they'd had enough and ran off leaving little piles of yellow sand all over the canyon floor. The wolf still on its paws started licking the wounds of the fallen one and after a minute it got up apparently sound as ever.

They found the girls waiting for them at the door to the tunnel alongside two big, damp, burlap bags. "You got the fish?" Percy asked in disbelief.

Two pairs of big greeny-pale eyes gave him identical looks. "It's food!"

"Sure, right. So, do you always get attacked when you go fishing?"

"No we do not. Not by so many monsters anyway," Claudia frowned. "We've got too tell Lupa."


End file.
